‘An incredible feat’: Two Alaska chefs named James Beard semifinalists
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The James Beard Foundation has announced the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists and the prestigious 35th annual James Beard Awards will see two chefs from Alaska vying for best chef in the Northwest and Pacific.
Kevin Lane, co-owner of the Cookery in Seward, and Beau Schooler, chef and owner of In Bocca Al Lupo in Juneau, both made the list of semifinalists - which includes chefs from Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
Chef Mandy Dixon is the daughter of a former James Beard Award semifinalist and she’s quite active within the foundation.
“The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit group that supports chefs and restaurants in the industry,” said Dixon, who runs the Tutka Bay Lodge in Homer and the La Baleine Cafe on the Homer spit.
“And they are really an amazing company that has, you know, supported chefs and restaurants through the pandemic, through natural disasters. They’re supporting restaurants in the fires in California.
“And they support them through scholarships and fundraising and through educational conferences. And a lot of sharing and collaboration.”
Just to be named a semifinalist is a reward in and of itself, Dixon said. Having two Alaskans featured in the Best Chef category is very special.
“The James Beard Awards are really the Oscars of the culinary world and to be nominated is really a true testament to those chefs on their commitment to their cuisine and to their craft,” Dixon said.
“It is an amazing group of chefs that our two Alaskan chefs are among... Kevin Lane from Seward. The Cookery is one of my favorite restaurants, and Kevin Lane is an amazing chef and educator here in the state.”
“Beau Schooler, I have yet to go to his restaurant in Juneau, but I have met him a few times and he is also amazing.”
“He’s representing Alaska incredibly and using wild and farmed ingredients in his cuisine.”
“I’m very proud of both of them for representing Alaska.”
Dixon said Alaskans should be very proud of our state’s culinary canvas.
“I have had the pleasure of working in some of the best restaurant kitchens in the world and I am so proud of Alaskan cuisine,” she explained. “Alaska cuisine is so unique because of our wild and farmed ingredients. Our rich soil, our wild seafood, and also our culinary cultural history.”
“We have a lot of Russian influence and Asian influence in our cuisine as well as kind of the sourdough gold rush influence in our cuisine.”
“And we’re we’re Nordic cuisine as well, lots of root vegetables. And all of that blended together is what Alaska cuisine is to me.”
“In our cuisine, we take a lot of Alaska Native cooking techniques, smoking fish and how we prepare seafood, how we ferment and preserve things is also a great addition to Alaskan cuisine today.”
Back to the James Beard Award semifinalists, Dixon believes it’s the love of locals that secured Lane and Schooler a spot on the list.
“I think their commitment to our community and to their micro-communities stands out,” she said.
“Everybody can see how much they support their own communities and farmers, and highlighting Alaska’s amazing seafood and wild foraged ingredients and really being creative with their cuisine.”
“And it’s something that everybody loves to go to the restaurants and dine because it’s such a unique experience.”
She said the awards presentation is much like the Oscars or a big award show. It will be held in Chicago on June 16, but the award finalists will be named on April 2.
“The James Beard Foundation is really an amazing foundation that really supports the whole array of restaurants and so for them to support these small, tiny little restaurants in Alaska really shows that they are very equal and and want everybody to be highlighted,” Dixon said.
“And this award just means so much to anybody that’s nominated and to be a semifinalist in the James Beard Awards is really an incredible feat.”
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